Author Archives: Monica Brand

All I want to say that won’t fit into Twitter

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My two biguns left this morning for their first sleep-away Bible camp, into the wilds of Pennsylvania. I loved camp as a girl. The crafts, canoeing on the lake, the awesomeness of being away from home. I know my two young people (the word children feels too young) were excited to not only be with their church friends for the week, but to be away from home (read: me and Daddy). Isn’t independence one of the greatest allures of sleep-away camp, if only for a week?

We are still in birthday party mode. Friends of the newly minted eight-year-old are due here any minute for a sleep over. Another first around here. We’ve had a cousin once spend the night a long time back, but this is the first time for friends. The plan is to put up the tent in the backyard, but we will see if that happens in this heat. Our official Tent Man is currently flopped on the sofa after changing the oil in my van.

Tomorrow we are set to go to my parents for the day. I’ll be leaving my boy behind to spend the night and my mom can take him shopping for a birthday present. We’re calling it Grandma Camp.

Then I will be down to one kiddo on Wednesday. O, the places we can go for on the cheap, right? That’s how one starts to think when all the kids normally in tow are suddenly scattered hither and yon. Where can I go with this last girlie left behind? She’s easy to please so it might be the park to wade and the lunch of her choice with ice cream.

That’s our July so far. We’re off and running, coming and going. It already feels like the summer is moving too fast. Vacation Bible School starts next week, but more about that later.

What are you doing this week?

Boys, girls and an electric drill

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As a mother, I’m always vigilant for these situations. This is a story from last night’s 4H meeting. Birding club.

I had three of my kids with me, my boys, 10 and 7, and my eldest girl, 12 years old next week. The night’s project was making bird feeders. A dad passed out the supplies: wood pieces, screws, metal sheeting for the roof and demonstrated how to put it together. Simple construction, easy.

The dad had two electric power drills, one by-hand screwdriver. Ten kids waited patiently.

“Why don’t you help her?” Dad said to his son, a boy well versed in power drill. The boy had just finished using it on his own bird feeder. He picked up the screw and began drilling into my daughter’s bird feeder to attach the base.

My daughter watched.

On the other side of the room, another boy, another girl, same scene.

She said nothing, watching as he began to work on her bird feeder project.

I know how to use tools. I’ve used electric saws, table saws, lathes, jigsaws. I took wood shop in 7th grade when it was required. I took wood shop as an elective in high school. I built ramshackle forts in my backyard. I built a skateboard out of old metal wheels and rough wood. I came home in tears from freshman year wood shop due to the caustic remarks from the male teacher. I never took wood shop again.

My daughter is not me. As far as I can tell, she is not interested in carpentry, power drills or building with scraps of wood. She’s more rubber spatula, cake pans and flour. But this was an easy project. All you had to do was screw straight down four times; plus I think everyone should try a tool when given the opportunity.

Make no mistake – I made sure I was gentle, yet firm.

“Wait a minute. That’s her bird feeder.”

“Excuse me. That’s her project. Let her do it.”

I had to repeat myself several times, my voice raised a bit louder each time. Eventually those boys gave way and the girls used the drills by themselves.

Moms, encourage your daughters to try the new, the unfamiliar.

Tell your sons: help doesn’t mean you do it for a girl. Show her, demonstrate. Then hand the tool to her.

Speak up for your girl so she has a turn to try.